PUEBLO — Zebra mussels, first discovered in the U.S. in the Great Lakes, have been detected at Lake Pueblo State Park, state wildlife officials said today.

The notoriously invasive animals, native to eastern Europe, eat large amounts of plankton that species native to Colorado waters need to survive.

While zebra mussels are not known to pose a threat to human health, their massive colonies can block industrial pipes or damage boat motors by keeping cooling water from flowing through the engine.

The black-and-white striped mussels can survive out of water and have spread since being discovered in the United States in 1988, typically by attaching to watercraft.

Recent sampling efforts between the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Colorado State Parks detected two adult mussels, an immature specimen and larva at the state park, the Colorado Division of Wildlife said.

More sampling is planned this winter and spring to determine how large the infestation is, the division said.

So far, no zebra mussels have been detected at the Pueblo State Fish Hatchery.

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